Fabrication of hidden storage/utility system

ABSTRACT

A pickup truck conversion hidden storage/utility system is incorporated in the bed thereof without altering the bed&#39;s external appearance. The storage system is located adjacent the wheel well sections of the bed, and uses hinges to open and close the fender/side panel of the bed. Since the storage system does not alter the truck&#39;s external appearance, it reduces the attraction for theft. Also, since the storage area does not extend inwardly beyond the conventional wheel wells, the storage system leaves most of the truck bed free for use. The hidden storage/utility system is incorporated into the bed by an initial fabrication method.

RELATED APPLICATION

This is a Continuation of application Ser. No. 08/685,678 filed Jul. 24,1996, now abandoned which is a Continuation-In-Part of U.S. applicationSer. No. 08/506,893 filed Jul. 26, 1995, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,567,000issued Oct. 22,1996.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to pickup trucks, particularly tostorage/utility beds for pickup trucks, and more particularly to astorage/utility conversion or assembly method for providing same in aconventional pickup bed without altering the external appearance of thebed.

Pickup trucks have long been a means for transporting and/or storingtools, materials, etc. for various trades, such as plumbing, electrical,construction, repair, etc. While conventional tool boxes, whichgenerally extend across the pickup bed, are a convenient tool storageapproach, such take up a great deal of space and thus reduce thecarrying capacity. Also, the conventional pickup beds have been removedand replaced with utility type beds of various types, such asexemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 5,267,773 issued Dec. 7, 1993 to G. Kalis,Jr. et al. In addition, the pick-up truck body and/or beds have beenmodified to provide storage/utility space, such as exemplified by U.S.Pat. No. 4,917,430 issued Apr. 17, 1990 to M. A. Lawrence.

While these prior storage/utility arrangements have been satisfactoryfor their intended purpose, such are an attraction for theft as well ashaving an appearance of a utility bed. Thus, there has been a need for astorage/utility system for pickup truck beds which does not alter thebed's external appearance or significantly reduce the interior size ofthe bed, thereby reducing the tool theft problem while providing spacefor hidden storage without significant reduction of the bed's carryingcapacity.

This need has been filled by the present invention which involves theconversion or assembly of a conventional pickup truck bed into astorage/utility bed without altering the external appearance of the bedand without significant reduction in the carrying capacity thereof. Thisis accomplished by providing storage adjacent the wheel well area, andalong the length of the bed, and providing the fender/side panel of thebed with a hinge and latch arrangement whereby the fender/side panel canbe raised to expose the storage area, or closed and latched to concealthe storage area. Thus, the pickup can be used for pleasure or workwithout the appearance of its storage/utility capability, and can beparked in areas where theft would likely occur from conventional toolboxes or utility beds.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a hiddenstorage/utility system for a bed, such as a conventional pickup truckbed, without altering the external appearance of the bed.

A further object of the invention is to provide a method for convertinga standard pickup truck bed into a hidden storage/utility bed.

A further object of the invention is to provide a method for fabricatinga bed with a hidden storage/utility system therein.

A further object of the invention is to provide a pickup truck bed withstorage/utility capability without a significant reduction in thecarrying capacity thereof.

Another object of the invention is to provide a pickup bed withstorage/utility capability without altering the external appearance ofthe bed.

Another object of the invention is to provide a pickup bed with a hiddenstorage/utility system wherein the fender/side panel of the bed ishinged to allow access to the storage/utility area.

Another object of the invention is to reduce theft potential from astorage/utility bed of pickup trucks, etc. by providing hiddenstorage/utility areas in the bed without altering the externalappearance of the bed.

Another object of the invention is to provide a standard bed, such as apickup truck bed, with a hidden storage/utility system by converting anexisting bed or by incorporation of the system during fabrication of thebed.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent fromthe following description and accompanying drawings. The inventioninvolves a hidden storage/utility system for beds, such as pickup truckbeds, that can be installed in any fleetside or stepside bed withoutaltering the bed's appearance. The storage/utility system is installedin the wheel well area of the bed, and uses hinges to open and close thefender/side panel of the bed. The fender/side panel is provided with alatching and lock mechanism. Since the storage/utility system onlyinvolves the area of bed adjacent the wheel wells, it dos notsignificantly reduce the carrying capacity of the bed. By providing ahidden storage/utility system for a pickup truck bed, the potential oftheft therefrom is substantially reduced since the unaltered appearanceof the bed's external surfaces would not lead one to a realization thatit contained tools, etc. The hidden storage/utility system can beinitially fabricated in the bed, such as on an assembly line, orexisting beds can be converted to include the system.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated into and form a partof the disclosure, illustrate an embodiment of the hiddenstorage/utility system and fabrication methods for producing the systemand, together with the description, serve to explain the principles ofthe invention.

FIG. 1 is a view of a side of a pickup truck bed which has been modifiedto incorporate the storage/utility system under the closed fender/sidepanel of the bed in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an end view of the pickup truck bed of FIG. 1 showing the leftfender/side panel open, the right fender/side panel closed, the tailgate open, and the storage boxes and lock mechanism within the bed.

FIG. 3 is a view of an embodiment of the storage/utility system of theFIG. 1 pickup truck bed with the fender/side panel raised to illustratethe storage bin shelves and latch mechanism.

FIG. 4 is a top view of the FIG. 1 pickup truck bed illustrating thestorage boxes and fender/side panels, with the tail gate closed.

FIG. 5 is an exploded view of a fleetside or styleside light duty pickupbed incorporating the hidden storage/utility system.

FIG. 6 is an exploded view of a stepside light duty pickup bedincorporating the hidden storage/utility system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention involves the fabrication of a hiddenstorage/utility system for a hidden pickup truck bed, for example, andinvolves a method for fabricating a bed to include the hidden system orfor conversion of a conventional pickup truck bed to a hiddenstorage/utility bed without altering the external appearance of the bed,and without a significant reduction in the carrying capacity of the bed.While the invention is illustrated and described for fleetside andstepside versions of a pickup bed, it can be installed, either byinitial assembly or conversion in any type of bed having availablespace. The present invention reduces the theft potential fromstorage/utility beds by eliminating the appearance of such beds. Theinvention utilizes lost space adjacent the wheel wells of the bed whilemaintaining the space between the wheel wells. As known, the spacebetween the wheel wells of a conventional pickup truck bed is slightlyover four (4) feet and the conventional pickup truck beds have a lengthof eight (8) feet plus, wherein sheets of 8 ft. by 4 ft. material, suchas plywood, etc. can be carried between the wheel wells. However, thespace in front and back of the wheel wells is generally considered lostspace for large items until material has been stacked above the heightof the wheel wells. Thus, by utilizing the area in front, back, andabove the wheel wells as hidden storage/utility space, the overallstorage/carrying capacity of the bed is increased between the outerfender and inner fender of a stock pickup by removing the inner fender.Here, the term storage/utility space is defined as that space in whichtools, such as vices, saws, parts, etc. can be stored or mounted foruse, and in which shelves can be secured for retaining such tools orparts, etc.

By the present invention, a conventional pickup truck bed is initiallyfabricated or converted to a storage/utility bed, whereas theconventional installation of storage/utility beds involve thereplacement of the conventional bed, thus the cost of conversioncompared to the cost of the conventional bed replacement issubstantially less. Basically, the conversion involves cutting eachfender/side panel (hereinafter called side panel) vertically in twoplaces and along the upper length thereof, on an inner surface of theside panel, as described in detail hereinafter, disconnecting the lowerlength of the side panels from the bed frame, hinging the side panelalong the upper length, providing braces on the side panels, installinga latching mechanism along the lower length of the side panels,providing a key lock for the latching mechanism, installing a storagestructure or box over the wheel wells along each side of the bed,securing shelving to the storage box, and painting the cut areas and thestorage box to correspond to the color of the bed. Upon completion ofthe conversion, from a side view, the only difference between theconverted bed and a non-converted bed are two vertical lines or smallspaces, one just back of the front of the bed and one just forward ofthe tail light section of the bed, where the side panel is cut, asillustrated in FIG. 1. The hinge for each side panel is located on aninner area of the side panel so as not to be exposed to one viewing thebed from an external side position. Thus, one would not readilyrecognize the modification to the bed, and therefore those with intentto steal tools, etc. would not recognize the hidden storage arrangement.

The hidden storage/utility system can be initially fabricated into thebed, as in an assembly line arrangement, wherein the various parts areinitially fabricated, then assembled and painted as the bed passes fromstation to station along an assembly line, as described in greaterdetail hereinafter.

Referring now to the drawings, FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a conventionallyappearing pickup truck generally indicated at 10 having a cab 11, bed12, frame or undercarriage 13, and wheels 14. The bed 12 is mounted onframe or undercarriage 13 and includes side panels 15, a tail lightarrangement 16, a hinged tail gate 17 with stop mechanisms 18, and wheelwells 19. However, the bed 12 of FIGS. 1 and 2 has been modified inaccordance with the present invention, with the only indication of suchmodification being the cuts, small spaces, or lines 20 and 21 in theside panels 15, as shown in FIG. 1, with the side panel being closed.Note that in this embodiment the side panels 15 terminate adjacent theframe or undercarriage 13.

As seen in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, the hidden storage/utility area is providedby storage or structure boxes 22 and 23 mounted within the bed 12 andover the wheel wells 19, the boxes 22 and 23 being constructed to coverthe wheel wells 19, but not extend to the top or upper surface 24 of bed12, and terminate in spaced relation to tail gate 17. A latch mechanism25 is mounted in the rear of each of boxes 22 and 23, as seen in FIG. 2,and is provided with a key lock 26. The latch mechanism 25 includeslatch members 27 located in spaced relation along the bed 12, and whichcooperate with corresponding latch members 28 in side panel 15, as shownin FIG. 3. While not shown, the latch members 27 are interconnected by arod or cable which is connected to mechanism 25 which includes a releasefor members 27.

As seen in FIG. 3, the side panels 15 are each provided with braces 29and a hinge 30 that extends the full length thereof. Shelves 31 and 32are secured to the interior of storage or structure boxes 22 and 23, andthe area forward of the wheel well 19 forms a storage bin 33. The hinges30 are located on the interior of the bed 12 and thus not visible fromthe exterior.

FIG. 5 illustrates in exploded view an embodiment of a fleetside orstyleside version of a light duty pickup truck bed incorporating thehidden storage/utility system, and which can be initially fabricated asa unit, or which can be formed by conversion of an existing bed. Theinitial fabrication process or method and the conversion process ormethod are described in detail hereinafter.

As shown in FIG. 5, the hidden storage/utility system comprises sidepanel assemblies 41 for either a short or long bed, wheelhouse panels42, storage housing assemblies 43 for either a short or long bed, afront panel 44, a floor panel 45 for either a short or long bed, a floorsill 46, a door panel assembly 47, door panel hinges 48, panel door gascharged shock absorbers 49, a tailgate assembly 50, a storage boxhandle, lock and latch assembly 51, storage shelving assemblies 52, doorpanel lock and latch assemblies 53, tailgate striker 54, tailgate outerhinge 55, tailgate latch and cable assembly 56, tailgate inner hinge 57,tailgate latch rods 58, tailgate handle 59, tailgate bezel handle 60, awheel opening 61, a side panel shield 62, and a panel door gasket 63.While only one part or component is shown for simplicity in certaininstances it has a corresponding component on an opposite side notshown.

As shown in FIG. 6, the hidden storage/utility system can beincorporated into a stepside version of a light duty pickup truck bed,and comprises side panels 71 for long or short beds, fenders 72, onlyone shown, panel storage box assembly 73, front panel 74, floor panel 75for long or short beds, a floor sill 76, door panel assembly 77, hiddendoor hinges 78, gas charged shock absorbers 79, tailgate assembly 80,latch lock and cable assembly 81, fender brackets 82, door panel lockand latch assemblies 83, tailgate striker 84, tailgate outer hinge 85,tailgate latch and cable assembly 86, inner hinge 87, latch rods 88,tailgate handle 89, bezel handle 90, wheel openings 91, fender rearbrace 92, fender front brace 93, front and rear step pads 94, and doorpanel assembly gasket 95. While certain parts are shown singly forsimplicity, corresponding parts not shown are utilized on the oppositeside of the bed.

The invention involves a method for carrying out initial fabrication ofa bed, for pickup trucks for example, which incorporates the hiddenstorage/utility system, as well as a method for carrying out theconversion of an existing conventional pickup bed, for example, toincorporate the hidden storage/utility system. In either case, thehidden storage/utility system is incorporated with substantially nochange in the appearance of the external fender/side panel of the bed.

The conversion method can be utilized to enable damaged beds or existingundamaged beds to be modified to include the hidden storage/utilitysystem. In the case of damaged beds, new fender/side panels and hiddenstorage assembly components are prefabricated in a jig system platformassembly similar to the initial fabrication method describedhereinafter, but without the bed panel, front panel and tailgateassemblies, as illustrated in either of FIGS. 5 or 6. Theseprefabricated hidden storage system components are available for sixfoot, seven foot, and 8 foot pickup truck bed lengths, as manufacturedfor any light duty truck.

Conversion of Existing Bed

1. Remove the spare tire from under the bed for safety. Disconnect thefuel tank filler from the exterior side panel skin. CAUTION| Do notutilize a cutting torch or grinder or cutter where sparks fly that mayignite fuel in, around or near fuel tanks. Secure fuel tanks to avoidignition PRIOR to beginning cutting.

2. Proceed to unbolt the existing bed from the chassis and disconnectwiring harness plugs. Remove the taillight assemblies. SEE CAUTIONABOVE: Cut the right and left side panels along the longitudinal axis ofthe bed panel and to the prescribed limit at the rear of the bed panel.Cut the front panel/side panel vertical joint loose. Preserve the lastsix inches of the bed panel adjacent to the tailgate bulkhead. Thisportion of the bed panel is utilized in the final bed construction.

3. Establish a level work station for the salvaged bed panel, frontpanel, tailgate and bulkhead assembly panels. The bed should be leveledalong all axis. Plumb the front panel and tailgate bulkhead assembly.Secure jig the parts to the work station with cross rods and supports toprevent dislocation during retrofitting assembly.

4. Install the new side panel and storage panel assembly with wheelhouseto the bed panel and front and tailgate bulkhead. Check level and plumbpositioning. Clamp the components securely into position. Install weldpositioning clips and tack weld the hidden storage system into position.(Do not begin a full weldup at this time.)

5. Perform the identical installation on the opposite side of the bed.Check all tack welds. Check level and plumb and inside bed clearancesand tolerances for both hidden storage system panels.

6. Install the hidden storage door panels to the hinge mounts (if thedoors have been removed after shipment) and check form and fit. Do notforce the door if an adjustment is required. Verify hinge adjustmentposition and door margin without gaskets. Special partial gaskets areprovided to install in the annular space at premarked locations aroundthe door to simulate margin fit without full gasket installation.

7. When all margins are verified, stitch weld the new hidden storagepanel assembly to the bed panel along the provided weld clips. Followingclip stitch welding, recheck bed tolerances, level and plumb. Completethe weldup, watching for heat distortion in bed components. Maintainingquality assurance conditions throughout the bed conversionreconstruction will ensure a precise and quality end product.

8. Remove light weld slag and wheel grind any unsightly weld, asrequired. Check form, fit and finish.

9. Prep the salvaged portion of the truck bed with standard StandingPainting Council methods for the auto industry, touch prime cleaned andsanded areas. Proceed to remove any rust or loose paint from the bed.Avoid moisture.

10. Lift the bed onto a rolling platform and place into a heated paintbooth to volatilize moisture entrapped within joints of the bed. Primethe bed while warm. Cure the primer in accordance with the paintmanufacturer's instructions. Check the primer surfaces inside and out.Sand out any imperfections. Verify mil thickness of the primer tospecifications.

11. Caulk all seams and joints with the specified polymer. Allow thecaulking to cure in the paint booth. Proceed with the final finish paintapplication. Verify finish quality. Allow finish to cure. Finish may beaccelerated with ultra violet lamps according to manufacturer'sinstruction.

12. Install interior shelving and clips in hidden storage enclosures.Install gas lift shocks, locking latches, strikes, cable lockassemblies. Surround the annular door openings with the specified gasketmaterials. Install drain check valves in the fore and aft storagecompartments. Verify form and fit. Door should close and secure withoutslamming shut.

13. Reinstall the truck bed on the truck chassis. Truck should be on alevel slab at the time of reinstallation of the bed. verify tire wearand pressure prior to final level check.

14. Shim to level as required. Do not install excess shim stockmaterials. Bolt down the bed to the manufacturer's specified bolt torquesettings.

15. Reinstall the spare tire, if required. Reinstall the tail lightassemblies and reflectors and connect the wiring harnesses. Verify taillight, signal light and brake light operations. Verify the fuel tankfiller neck and cap is securely attached to the side panel. Check gasketaround fuel filler tube.

Original Equipment Manufacturing (OEM) Assembly Sequence

1. The manufacturing production and assembly of the hidden storagesystem begins in the forming and molding fabrication section. This isaccomplished by means of stamp forming sheet metal into the pickup truckbed components in hydraulic presses with accompanying dies, breaks andshears.

2. Manufacture of the hidden storage system components may also beaccomplished by means utilizing SCM (Structural Modified Composite)materials in molded or sheets goods.

3. Roll or flat stock forming sheet metal (with a thin coat of formingoil) is fed into a sizing shear die or forming die, if the material isprecut. The process continues through subsequent sizing and forming diewhich progressively shape the bed panels for the front end, floor,wheelhouse, exterior and interior door and tailgate. Reinforcement,bulkhead, clips and shelving components are fabricated similarly bystandard of the industry techniques. Metal structural components in thebed are not substituted with SMC material.

4. All metal components or SCM fabricated components are placed into aninventory system for final assembly. This manufacturing assemblyprocedure utilizes a JIT (just-in-time) parts system.

5. The final assembly of the fabricated and vendor outsourced componentsbegin with feeding parts into a computer automated main assembly lineconveyor system by means of a married computer automated spur conveyorsystem. Parts are fed upon demand controlled by a computer sequenceroperation.

6. The basic bed structural components are conveyed to the automaticpin-fit jib robotic welding platform system which positions and locksthe bed components of floor panel, front end panel, inside storage boxpanels, wheelhouse and tailgate bulkhead panel into a precise toleranceweld-up by means of utilizing state of the art robotic welding machinesand associated platform positioning equipment.

7. The robotic welding machines retract and the jig system reverseslockup closure of the welded bed components allowing the chain conveyorto lift the bed into the next assembly sequence of bolting thepre-assembled tailgate door and hidden storage exterior door panel intothe assembly held in position by means of special wire restraints toprop open the doors and tailgate for priming and final painting systemsapplication.

8. The assembled bed proceeds into a highly illuminated booth to allowvisual Q&A (quality and assurance) inspection for dolly, grinding andsandout correction of any minor surface imperfections prior to primerapplication. Special brazing is also accomplished at this stage instress areas at the upper portion of the inside corners of the tailgatebulkhead.

9. After exiting the inspection and surface correction station, the bedprogresses through a deionized water spray bed paint surfaceconditioning booth and then continues to be conveyed into the immersionprimer bath. The welded bed is primed by means of an immersion bathsystem. The bed enters and leaves the primer bath at inclined positionsto allow entrapped primer material to quickly drain from the bed andstorage compartment areas. Strategic drain holes are provided to allowexcess primer material to drain from entrapped areas.

10. Primer curing is accomplished by means of conveying the bed througha heated tunnel drying booth until the temperature reaches approximately345-350 degrees Fahrenheit for the recommended time specified by thepaint manufacturer as sufficient to cure the metal protection primercoat. The bed then progresses along the conveyor allowing cooling of thebed. The bed continues to progress into a second inspection stationwhereby the bed is highly illuminated by means of a lighting systemalong the walls and ceiling soffit areas allowing visual inspection forprimer coat imperfections.

11. The next station is used to accomplish manual surface sanding of anysurface defect, and hand spray touch up of the areas requiringcorrection of any minor aberrations found in the paint film surface.Rapid paint curing of touch up areas is accelerated by utilizing anultra violet lamp which travels with the conveyed bed for approximately8 minutes.

12. Caulking is then strategically applied over bed fabrication seams bymeans of a hand held caulking gun with controlled pressure fed in aprecisely controlled manner, forming a smooth caulk bead for aestheticreasons and preventing moisture from entering the bed joints to inhibithidden rust formation.

13. After the drying booth and visual inspection sequence, the bedcontinues into the final color paint booth. Paint color is pre-selectedand is automatically applied by means of a robotic turbo head paintapplicator onto the bed. The bed is negatively charged and the paint ispositively charged. The paint precipitates onto the bed componentselectrostatically.

14. Paint mil thickness application, if obtained by means of controllingthe application term, fluid flow and speed of the robot. Inside ofcorners will require hand gun touch up paint application to obtain thespecified mil thickness where discreet electrostatic precipitationdeficiencies occur due to the physics inherent to automaticelectrostatic paint application.

15. The bed paint drying and cure will then be processed by means of atunnel oven which will allow temperature and time cure of the finalpaint coating. Heat is increased to a maximum of 345 degrees F. andslowly cooled as it progresses to the final visual inspection station.

16. The final visual quality assurance inspection is undertaken by themeans of a high illumination booth. Units with surfacial imperfectionsin the paint are removed from the line and individually repairedmanually with standard paint rub out techniques with recoat as required.Recoat paint cure is accelerated with an ultra violet paint lamp appliedto the recoat surface for approximately 8-10 minutes.

17. The bed continues along the assembly line conveyor through finalassembly component stages whereby the tailgate and hidden storage doorhardware, including strikers, latches, locks, handles, cables, hiddenlatch assemblies, perimeter and specialty door gaskets, storagecompartment drain check valving, wiring harnesses, tail lightassemblies, shelving, shelving clips, shelving liners and manufacturingdecals are manually installed or applied.

18. Final quality assurance inspection for form, fit and function isperformed as the bed exits the assembly line. Special PVC plastic filmis placed over bed areas subject to transport damage, and gas hatchcovers to prevent opening by wind pressure.

19. The finished bed is lifted by means of a forklift and placed into aspecial rack designed for truck intermodel and low boy trailer shipmentto stocking distributors.

It has thus been shown that the present invention provides a hiddenstorage/utility arrangement that can be initially built into a pickuptruck bed, or a conventional bed can be converted to include thestorage/utility arrangement without altering the external appearance ofthe bed and without a significant reduction in the carrying capacity ofthe bed. While the invention has been described with respect tofleetside and stepside pickup beds, it can be readily incorporated intoother types of pickup beds, trailers or full-sized truck beds havingside panels without detracting from the appearance of the side panels,except for the two vertical cuts therein. Also, the hinged fender/sidepanel can be hinged along the entire length whereby the entire sidepanel, including the tail light section, can be raised and lowered toeliminate the vertical cut lines. While a specific embodiment of thestorage/utility system of the present invention has been described andillustrated, such is not intended to limit the invention to thisembodiment. For certain applications only one storage box may bedesired. Beds for pickups, trailers, and trucks are designed withdifferently constructed side panels and frame/undercarriagearrangements. For example, the bed 12 of FIG. 1 may extend downward tocover the frame or undercarriage 13, as shown, and thus the side panels15 would include the extended area, or a cut, such as indicated at 34 inFIG. 3, can be made along a desired lower portion of the side panels toeliminate the need for raising the entire side panel when the extendedarea is part thereof.

Modifications and changes may become apparent to those skilled in theart, and it is intended that the scope of the invention be limited onlyby the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of installing a hidden storage system ina vehicle bed having a predetermined external appearance duringfabrication thereof without altering the external appearance,comprising:assembling components to form a vehicle bed having sidepanels mounted on the exterior of the bed and at least one storage boxextending along substantially the length of the bed, each side panelextending continuously along substantially the entire length of the bed,and horizontally hinging, at an upper portion thereof, at least one ofsaid side panels along substantially the entire length of the bed suchthat substantially the entire length of the at least one side panel canbe raised or lowered to expose or cover an interior of the storage box.2. The method of claim 1, additionally including prefabricating theexterior side panels and the at least one storage box utilized to formthe bed.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the steps of assembling andhinging are carried out on an assembly line.
 4. The method of claim 1,additionally including providing a lock and latch mechanism for the atleast one side panel.
 5. The method of claim 1, additionally includingproviding at least one shelf in the storage box.
 6. The method of claim1, additionally including assembling an additional storage box whichextends along the length of the vehicle bed,and hinging another of saidside panels along substantially the entire length of the bed so that theanother side panel can be raised or lowered to expose or cover aninterior of additional storage box.
 7. A method for fabricating astorage system for a vehicle bed having a predetermined exteriorappearance and having side panels mounted on the exterior of the bedwithout substantially altering the external appearance of the bed, thebed being adapted to be mounted on wheels, each side panel extendingcontinuously along substantially the entire length of the bed, themethod comprising:forming a bed including a storage box on each side ofthe bed adjacent the side panels of the bed; forming each storage box toinclude side walls and at least one end wall enclosing an interior;hinging each of the side panels horizontally at an upper portion thereofalong substantially the entire length of the bed so that substantiallythe entire length of each side panel can be raised to expose theinterior of the adjacent storage box and lowered to cover the interiorof the adjacent storage box without substantially altering the externalappearance of the side panels when the side panels lowered; andproviding each of the hinged side panels with a lock and latchingmechanism for releasably securing the hinged side panels to the bed. 8.The method of claim 7, additionally including providing the interior ofat least one of the storage boxes with at least one movable shelf. 9.The method of claim 7, additionally including prefabricating the storageboxes, the side panels and the lock and latching mechanisms and whereinthe operations of forming of the bed and storage boxes, hinging of theside panels, and providing the lock and latching mechanism are carriedout by assembling the above prefabricated components.
 10. The method ofclaim 7, additionally including providing means for retaining the hingedside panels open.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein providing theretaining means comprise fluid containing reciprocal members.
 12. Themethod of claim 7, additionally including forming the bed to includewheel wells, and forming each storage box to fit at least over the wheelwells of the bed.
 13. In a method for assembling a bed for a vehiclecomprising assembling a floor, a front panel, two side panels mounted onthe exterior of the bed and a tail gate, each side panel extendingcontinuously along substantially the entire length of the bed,improvement comprising providing hidden storage in at least one of theside panels of the bed by:providing a storage box having an openingtherein, positioning the storage box in the bed such that the opening isadjacent at least one of the two side panels, hinging horizontally at anupper portion thereof at least the one side panels adjacent the storagebox so that moving substantially the entire length of the hinged atleast one side panel exposes or covers substantially an entire interiorof the storage box adjacent thereto, and providing entirely unexposedlatching means for the hinged side panel.
 14. The method of claim 13,further including positioning an additional storage box having anopening in the bed adjacent the other side panel and hinging the otherside panel adjacent the additional storage box, and wherein the step ofproviding latching means further included providing latching means forthe other hinged side panel.
 15. The method of claim 13, additionallyincluding forming the opening in the storage box to be of alongitudinally extending configuration.
 16. The method of claim 13,additionally including forming the at least one hinged side panel priorto assembling the bed.
 17. The method of claim 13, additionallyincluding providing locking means for the at least one hinged sidepanel.
 18. The method of claim 13, additionally including providingmeans for retaining the at least one side panel in an open position. 19.The method of claim 13, additionally including providing the floor ofthe bed with wheel wells, and forming the storage box to fit over thewheel wells and along the floor of the bed.
 20. A method for fabricatinga storage/utility system in a vehicle bed without substantially alteringan external appearance thereof, comprising:forming a bed to include astorage box on each side of the bed, the storage box having an openingextending along substantially the length of the bed; forming at an upperportion of the bed a pair of horizontally hinged side panels, each sidepanel extending continuously along substantially the entire length ofthe bed such that the pair of hinged side panels are mounted on theexterior of the bed, extend along substantially the entire length of thebed and can be opened or closed to expose or cover an interior of thestorage boxes; and providing latching and lock means for the sidepanels.
 21. The method of claim 20, additionally including forming wheelwells on each side of the bed, and forming storage boxes to fit over thewheel wells.